Former Birmingham police officer sentenced to 100 years for arsons

Friday

Jul 26, 2013 at 12:01 AM

BIRMINGHAM | A former Birmingham police officer was sentenced to 100 years in prison for arson and other criminal charges Thursday.

The Associated Press

BIRMINGHAM | A former Birmingham police officer was sentenced to 100 years in prison for arson and other criminal charges Thursday. Curtis Thornton was convicted of four counts of arson, one count of attempted arson and a count of first-degree criminal mischief in June. Thornton, 28, was accused of setting fires to four buildings in Warrior and two in west Birmingham in May 2012. During the trial, several witnesses said Thornton had joked about setting fires or that they had seen Thornton light small blazes. Deputy Jefferson County District Attorney John Geer called Thornton a serial arsonist and said he lit the fire while on duty and in uniform. Godfrey Chrysoverges, father of Thornton’s former fiancée, owned one of the houses Thornton was accused of lighting on fire. AL.com reported that he told the judge the damage in this case extended beyond the properties Thornton set fire to and impacted his family as well. “But I think the people he hurt the most was his children ... he took himself out of their lives,” he said. Thornton’s grandmother, Sue, told AL.com she has taken custody of Thornton’s two sons, ages 7 and 8. She said Thornton had been respectful as a child and she couldn’t believe he was suspected in the crimes. “I can’t believe that it has all come to this ... I just can’t see him doing all of this,” she said. Thornton’s attorney, Brett Hamock, told the judge that Thornton had no prior criminal history, was living in Tuscaloosa when his home was destroyed by a tornado on April 27, 2011, and that Thornton had been through a divorce and was awarded custody of his two children.Thornton indicated that he plans to appeal his conviction and sentence. A second Birmingham police officer, 36-year-old Jason Arnold, and 48-year-old Anthony Weaver are also accused in the fires. Weaver’s trial is scheduled to begin June 17 and Arnold’s has been set for Oct. 7.